5 million Gmail passwords leaked

Posted on September 10, 2014

Nearly 5 million Gmail usernames and passwords have been leaked online. 4.93 million account details were posted on a Russian Bitcoin forum today (September 10), although the passwords have since been removed.

However, the poster responsible for the leak claimed that only 60% of passwords were valid, while many are thought to be dated, meaning some passwords may have changed over time.

In a statement, Google said it had no reason to believe its system had been breached.

“The security of our users’ information is a top priority for us,” a Google spokesperson told The Next Web.

“We have no evidence that our systems have been compromised, but whenever we become aware that accounts may have been, we take steps to help those users secure their accounts.”

Users concerned about their security are advised to change their password and consider enabling 2-step verification.